1986 RENAULT 21 2.1d 5MT FWD (67 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The Renault 21 was a mid-size vehicle built by the French car-maker. It was offered as a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, or a station-wagon. It was sold in the U.S. as a Renault or Eagle Medallion.

The once-successful Renault 18 started to show its age and the sales started to drop. The French car-maker had to replace it and the answer was of two vehicles instead of one. The Renault 18 was replaced by the 19 and by the 21. Both ranges covered more than the 18 ever could. The ascending demand for compact-segment customers was diverted to the 19 and those who were looking for something bigger were attracted by the 21 model.

The Renault 21 came in three shapes, with up to seven seats for the station-wagon version. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the same mastermind that draws other successful vehicles for Lamborghini, Volkswagen, or Cadillac. An interesting feature for those times was the third side window installed behind the rear doors.

Inside, the Renault 21 featured a flat dashboard with an angular look that followed the exterior design language. It featured manual or automatic transmission, air-conditioning, power windows and brakes, and few choices for the stereo system.

Under the hood, the 21 featured an unusual configuration: the smaller engines were installed transversely while the powerful models were fitted with longitudinally-mounted units. Most of the R21 featured front-wheel-drive systems, but some models were all-wheel-drive.